Whereas, all government ought to be instituted and supported,
for the security and protection of the community,
as such, and to enable the individuals who compose it, to
enjoy their natural rights, and the other blessings which
the Author of existence has bestowed upon man; and
whenever those great ends of government are not obtained,
the people have a right, by common consent, to
change it, and take such measures as to them may appear
necessary to promote their safety and happiness.

Thorpe, Francis Newton, ed. The Federal and State Constitutions, Colonial Charters, and Other Organic Laws of the States, Territories, and Colonies Now or Heretofore Forming the United States of America. 7 vols. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1909.